Raining - One Shot
by RMSE
Summary: Witnessing the loss of your world first hand is a devastating experience for anyone. Such a tragedy befell Naruto, and none of his friends knew if he was going to pull through. Naruto felt so lost. Everything was just - unreal. And the rain was so loud anymore. He was so tired of hearing the rain. Never had he thought he would hate the rain so much... God - he missed him.


Sasuke x Naruto

NARUTO (c) M. Kishimoto

Warning: Swearing and uh... depression? Err.

Idk what this really was. ;;" I wanted to try my hand at a real tragedy. The effect of this story is more fully felt if you listen to this instrumental - www . you tube . com slash watch?v=a_Am4cHMBKM - which I listened to nothing but for the whole duration of writing this fic. OTL This was an interesting experience for me and I'm not going to go crawl in a hole.

* * *

I felt dead. Breathless; lifeless; motionless. I forgot what a heartbeat was because I felt like mine had stopped. I didn't blink. I just - sat there. I sat there as the rain soaked through my halfly tattered clothes, the drops feeling like needles of ice piercing through the fabric, my skin, and straight to my bones, as if it was the element that was freezing me where I was but it wasn't. The few bruises and scrapes my body wore was nothing compared to the pain that numbed the rest of me. I couldn't tear my eyes from where they stared and everything seemed to blur and gravel into white noise around me. Everything was going so slow and I was on pause. I felt that at any moment I would just collapse.

It was like I was staring into a monochromatic painting that held a single, blaring streak of red, like the artist had suddenly gotten frustrated by the lackluster of the image and swiped a brush through carelessly before splattering the color in certain spots with no remorse. It was like I was staring into a live painting right before my eyes. I was hardly aware of all those around me. I was hardly aware of the blanket that barely sheltered me from the weather. It clung to me almost suffocatingly, actually, but I couldn't move to remove it. I felt so cold. I felt so empty. I felt like everything was taken away from me - my reason, my purpose, my everything - in a single gust, blasted away in vicious gales, leaving nothing but shambles and wreckage behind, like a hurricane had hit from all sides.

I felt like my brain had shut off; life had short-circuited and I was in the midst of a difficult reboot that kept failing.

Soon the images of the people and vehicles and lights all around me faded, a different scene taking their place - one that was stuck on replay; it went over and over again but on mute, silent as a grave. It was like I was watching an old black and white film that crackled and flickered. I watched myself like I was an anonymous bystander; an innocent onlooker as I walked with a stupid grin on my face. I was stepping off the curb mindlessly. I was talking on and on about something I could no longer remember. I didn't hear it. I didn't see it. I just felt the force and then everything changed.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

The view and persons drained away as my eyes slipped shut. I felt myself let go of a breath too shallow and one I hadn't realized I'd taken in.

"Naruto - look at me. Look at me, Naruto!"

My eyelids felt so heavy as I struggled to lift them to peer at the woman shrieking at me. She's absolutely soaked to the core, as are most around us, the rain drowning everything, washing away everything but the pain. Her rosy pink hair clung to her face as her wide, teal eyes gazed at me owlishly with a mixture of emotions - fear, concern, worry, sadness, pain. She was trying so hard to appear strong and collected when she wanted nothing more than to fall apart.

What a mess.

My eyes fell shut again and I just muted her out with everything else, my body too numb to feel her shaking my shoulders in a desperate attempt for my attention. Everything is just so quiet all of a sudden. I felt like falling away from wherever I was. Where was I?

"Naruto - Fuck! Moagi, where's Inuzuka?!"

"He's on his way!" the young trainee responded.

"Naruto - please! Talk to me, Naruto!"

"Sakura - what's wrong with him?!"

I didn't look as the two exchanged a conversation that drifted through my ears, but Sakura's reply sounded venomous and broken and so angry and hurt.

"He just watched his _best friend die before his eyes_! What the fuck do you think is wrong with him?!"

* * *

"... How is he..?"

"... He's - ... the same."

"... He still hasn't spoken?"

"Not a word... He won't even look at anyone. His eyes look so hollow anymore..."

Inuzuka Kiba pressed his lips into a fine as he gazed with an exasperated look towards the ajar door that lead into his friend's room. He could just barely see the shell of the man he once knew sitting up on his bed, eyes focused outside the nearby window though he sincerely doubted they were really seeing anything. His hands slipped behind his neck and rubbed a little before raking down the side, arm hanging there as he turned his attention back to the pinkette. "Is he - alright physically?"

Haruno Sakura nodded, idly tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as she stared downward. "Physically, yes. Most of his bruises have healed by now."

"... It's been a week," Kiba murmured, though he wasn't too sure why as he turned his attention back to the room. "... He didn't attend the funeral either, did he?"

Sakura shook her head, Kiba catching it in his peripheral. "No. He's been there ever since he's returned home. He won't eat and will barely drink; he won't shower. He won't do anything. Sometimes I'm worried he'll just... stop breathing." The last two words were hardly carried on a breath, difficult to say, causing Sakura to give a pained look.

Kiba frowned at her before bringing her into a gentle embrace, her forehead resting on his shoulder. "He'll be okay... He saw it first hand. That's traumatizing for anyone... And you..."

Sakura grit her teeth, hating the trembling that suddenly overtook her body from Kiba's act of kindness. She wrenched her eyes shut, brow furrowing as tears pooled around her lashes before escaping down her cheeks. Silently, she sobbed into the brunet's shoulder, shaking her head as her fingers clung desperately onto his jacket flap. "Kiba..."

"Ssh..." Kiba raised a hand to the back of her head as he gazed down the hall, brows knit. "It's okay..." He said that, but a good portion of him felt like it was anything but.

* * *

_"She's crying again..."_

Naruto's eyes barely moved towards the door, seeing Kiba through the crack of it in his peripheral. He could see a crumbling Sakura in his arms and he could just slightly hear her soft hicks and mangled cries. _I know..._

_"Shouldn't you say something to her...?"_

_What is there to say...?_ Naruto looked towards the window again but he didn't see what was outside. All he saw was familiar rain, familiar light posts and buildings, a familiar street and a familiar pair crossing it. He closed his eyes as a blaring horn and the shriek of tires against wet asphalt assaulted his ears. He lowered his head, face void of expression.

_"Something..."_

_There's nothing to say._ _There's nothing to say that will console anyone. A thousand sorries does a broken heart no good - a million sorries can't undo what's been done._ Naruto allowed himself to fall back onto his pillows, his head landing like dead weight. Slowly, he gazed up at the ceiling. A second later, a pair of almost pellucid ebony orbs gazed into Naruto's vacuous sapphires. The eyes stared into the blond for a long moment before Naruto watched the other pull away and stand at the window again, arms crossed behind his back as he watched whatever was out there. _... You see it too, don't you?_

_"Every day."_

_... So do I. It's always raining._

_"Always."_

_I've never liked the rain... I hated walking in it._

_"You walked in it with me."_

_That's because you liked walking in the rain... I never understood why. _Naruto's gaze just watched his back, the form unmoving as he watched the view replay.

_"I don't know... Rain adds a different feeling to everything. It has the ability of intensifying beauty or it has the ability to intensify negativity, like sadness or fear."_

Naruto could only agree to that but found himself favoring the latter more. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly, almost finding the action laborious. _The sound of rain is like snow on a television. A single white noise sound that feels like it'll drive you insane._

_"I think it sounds wonderful."_

_Then you don't mind hearing and seeing it every day, do you?_

_"Not at all. Especially if I see and hear it with you."_

Naruto could feel his presence at his side again but he didn't look to him this time. _Is that so...?_

_"That is so."_

_... I'm sorry._ A drive of pain struck through Naruto's chest when he received nothing more than silence in reply of the other, the feeling causing him to open his eyes and look needingly to the other but he frowned when he was no longer there. _Sa - ?_

"Naruto..."

Suddenly, Naruto felt himself freeze before suddenly melting away. He realized his eyes had never left the window. He had never laid down. He remained sitting and he remained alone in the room until Sakura gingerly pushed open the door and entered, her steps whispering over the hardwood flooring as she ventured further inside. "How're you feeling?"

There was no reply.

Sakura frowned, sniffing some. She stood at his bed side, gazing down pitifully at the blond, but she couldn't blame him. All she wanted to do was hide away - disappear from all of this for a while. Or maybe forever. Her eyes closed tight. "Naruto... Tsunade's coming by later. She's going to try to get you to eat something... Please, Naruto... Don't make us do anything we don't want to."

_"She's so worried about you."_

Naruto's gaze didn't leave the window despite the voice having come from beside Sakura.

_"They all are."_

_They shouldn't be._

_"Why shouldn't they be?"_

_There's nothing to worry about..._

_"Why not?"_

_I'm..._

_"Fine...?"_

"Naruto..." Sakura whispered dispiritedly. She sighed heavily, wiping her palm at the edge of her eye before she turned to go, Naruto watching in his peripheral as she walked right through him, his form dispersing only momentarily into wisps of mist before recollecting and standing again, head turned and looking over his shoulder as he watched her go, closing the door to where it once again was left just a crease open.

_... No. _Naruto continued to watch as the rain fell outside in the monochromatic painting. _I'm already gone._

A head of raven locks turned back to the other, watching with bottomless orbs. _"... Because I have you."_

_... All of me._

_"Always?"_

_For as long as the rain shall pour. _Naruto could see a small smile touch the porcelain fantasy but couldn't muster one of his own. The screeching tires were so loud again.

* * *

"It's been a month. You gotta say something, man... ..._Anything_?" It was almost a plea as he looked at his friend, sitting on the edge of his bed. Dejectedly, he sighed, shoulders slumping when he still received no reply. He looked to the window Naruto always stared out of. "... It's been pretty sunny these last couple of weeks, hasn't it?" he tried weakly, looking back to the blond hopelessly. "... Everyone's worried about you at school." No reaction. "... Hinata's been very depressed without you there. She's always worried. Neji is too, though he doesn't outright show it... Shikamaru, too. And Choji and Gaara and... everyone... ... We all miss you." Kiba's gaze fell away and into his own lap. "I know it was really hard, Naruto... And I know you're probably blaming yourself. It's not your fault... It's not anyone's fault. All of it was an accident..."

_"He talks a lot, doesn't he? ... Are you listening to him?"_

_Sort of..._

_"He's saying it's not your fault."_

_I know._

"Do you really think he'd want you to be like this, man...?" Kiba looked up to his friend through his lashes, jaw clenching as he still saw that ever vapid look on Naruto's face. It always sparked a flurry of anger before it bellowed into frustration, then crashing into desperation before exhaustion and sadness. It was always the same concoction of emotions when he visited. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered, so unsure if anything he was saying was getting through at all. "I don't. I know he wouldn't. Naruto - you gotta pull out of this. Ya gotta come back to us, man. You might as well be in a coma - you're like in a conscious coma. This isn't right."

_"This isn't right."_

_Of course it's not right... You were robbed of us._

_"I was stolen."_

_And there's no way to recover you..._

_"No. There's not."_

_But I have you here with me now. _Naruto was unsettled by the silence that met him, his eyes falling shut from it - the action not going unnoticed by Kiba. _I don't like when you suddenly go so quiet..._

_"But you're always quiet."_

_Not to you._

"Naruto," Kiba breathed. "You being like this is destroying everyone. Come on... _Please_." Kiba's fists clenched in his lap and he turned his head away, heaving a sigh before he pulled himself to a stand. "Fine... I'll see you next week." Kiba use to visit every day but he quickly found that seeing Naruto like this was very daunting on himself and for the sheer attempt at not exploding at the blond, he lessened his visits. Unfortunately, that meant Sakura had to solely care for the shell but Sakura also had a lot more control than the brunet did. Kiba let out a frustrated huff before turning and grabbing up his school bag, exiting and shutting the door tightly behind him.

_"He shut the door."_

_So...?_ Naruto's eyes didn't leave the window. _The window is always open._

_"The window doesn't matter."_

_The window is the only thing that matters in this room._

_"Because it replays?"_

_Because it shows me the last of you._

_"But I am right here."_

Only Naruto's cerulean eyes moved to the form that stood at the end of his bed. _...Yes. You are. _His view slid black again. _But you're not._

* * *

"Hey, Kiba," Yamanaka Ino greeted as she watched her friend sit, a grim look on his face. She frowned at it. She hadn't once been to visit Uzumaki since the incident - it's not that she didn't care and it's not that she didn't want to. She just didn't think she'd have the strength to witness what Kiba described to her without breaking down. It seemed Kiba was soon to reach his peak on the matter and it worried her. He had lost some weight and paled quite a bit, finding it taxing to focus in class and even sports, which Kiba typically thrived at and easily lost himself in. Typically a good game of basketball would cheer the brunet up but this was hardly a situation a couple of hoops could cure. "You visit him last week...?"

"Yeah..." Kiba muttered dully as he stabbed his foam plate of cafeteria food, having utterly no desire to consume it. He stirred around the noodles as he stared right through them, earning the eyes of the other table inhabitants.

Hyuuga Hinata and Neji exchanged glances before Hinata turned her gaze to Ino in silent questioning. Like Ino, she too hadn't been to see Naruto. She was probably the most fragile of them all and she was also probably the one least closest to the one they had lost, but that didn't mean she hadn't been affected. She frowned when the blond shook her head at her, it causing her gaze to sink to the table.

Neji pressed his lips together and laid a barely comforting hand on her shoulder before looking to Kiba. "Is he at least eating or drinking yet...?"

"Drinking very little..." Kiba stated, rubbing a hand over his face, just dropping his spork in done attempts of bothering with the food. "He still doesn't move, so he doesn't feed himself. Sakura tends to try and feed him. He takes maybe a bite or two before it's like he just gives up even bothering." He heaved a heavy sigh, raking his fingers through his chocolate strands. "Ugh... Honestly - it would just be fuckin' better if he was in a damn coma, that way we can just feed him through a tube!"

"Kiba!" Ino snapped, causing Kiba to grit his teeth.

"I didn't mean _better_ - I just meant... It would just be _easier_." He sighed heavily. "I just want to shove a bowl of ramen down his throat already..."

Ino frowned sympathetically. "... He'll get there, Kiba."

Kiba stared into his food. _... I'm not so sure about that._

* * *

"It's so sunny outside today, don't you think?" Sakura said in an almost painfully cheery front. She had a smile painted on her lips but all Naruto could see was it running like water colors, smearing her face as her eyes showed through the real struggle she locked away. He was actually looking at her today, if not only because she stood near the window where the raven typically did. "I'm hoping this summer is a really warm one. I think we could all use a little less cloudiness in our lives, yeah?" She turned the mask to Naruto who simply stared at her placidly. Sakura's eyes bored into the blond's own and Sakura almost gave herself some false hope that he was recognizing her actually being there for once. She smiled emptily at the floor before looking back at the window. She reached her arm out to where the rays of the sun cascaded over it, the feeling of warmth draping over her skin. A tired look crossed her face as she watched the light, rotating her hand as she basked in it.

Naruto's lips invisibly twitched as he observed Sakura reaching her inconceivably bright colored arm into the painting. No rain touched it and it brightened warmly despite the night time that was outside. He wasn't sure what Sakura was reaching for - perhaps she was trying to stop the truck? Even Naruto knew better than that. There was no way to do that, otherwise he already would've done it.

_"What is she doing?"_

_I don't know..._

_"What is she talking about?"_

_I don't know._

_"It's still spring. Isn't it?"_

_... I don't know._

"Anyway... Grandma Tsunade will be stopping by again in a couple of days to check on you. I told her you started eating a bit again and she was really happy about that." Sakura retracted her arm, resting her palm on the window sill as she looked back to Naruto. "You know she'll probably yell at you again for not eating right."

_"That woman can get pretty loud."_

Naruto gave no reaction.

"If you wanna avoid that," Sakura said as she moved away from the window where Naruto's eyes remained, staring into onyx gems that looked right back at him, him standing where Sakura had just been. The pinkette moved to the end of Naruto's bed, giving him a heavy smile that still looked running. "You should just eat more properly. Maybe tonight I'll cook up one of your favorites, yeah?" She let out a huff that was presumably a giggle before she headed toward the door, grabbing the knob and pulling it open. "Perhaps something with pork. ... Yeah..." She lowered her head, her smile faltering as she had her back to the other. "... Something with pork..." She then promptly left the room, the door left ajar.

_"She always leaves the door open."_

_There is no sun._

Eyes turned to Naruto before looking out the window. _"No. There's not. I wonder if she's crazy?"_

_... Always raining._ Naruto closed his eyes.

_"I hate the rain."_

Naruto looked to the raven, watching him a long moment. He had his arms crossed in front of him now with a scowl on his face as he seemed to will away the plastering droplets. _... Doesn't it just sound horrible?_

_"Like a million marbles dropping from the sky, scattering once they hit the ground."_

Naruto listened as he heard a splash outside, it drawing his attention. A foot had stepped through a puddle and a bite of a curse word followed.

_"Fuck!"_

_"Would you watch where you're going?"_

_"If someone hadn't chosen a restaurant on the other side of town, we could've already been at my place!"_

_"It wouldn't have been a problem if someone hadn't launched my keys into a tall ass tree!"_

_"I said I was sorry!"_

_"You've said that a lot..."_

Naruto blinked, his attention pulling back to the fantasy who stared back at him. _What?_

_" 'Sorry'... You always said that a lot to me."_

_... I did, didn't I...? _Naruto looked back to the rain. He wasn't the type to be sorry for much - at least, he hadn't been about a month and a half ago, but now he found himself feeling sorry for everything, even though he knew it wouldn't fix anything. Words can't fix what's been physically done. His eyes dropped to his lap _... I've said it a lot, but you've never said it to me._

_"No. I was never sorry about anything."_

_No, you weren't. Everything you did had purpose - you weren't a fool like me. You weren't an idiot._

_"No. I wasn't."_

_... You've never said you forgive me, either. _Naruto's fingers twitched, pressing some on the comforter as he was met with silence. _Why do you do that...? Why do you stay silent when I want you to speak the most? Answer me...! _His teeth halfly grit as his brow knit just a slight. It felt like hours of silence poured around the room before a whisper was breathed, ghosting along Naruto's ear.

_"There is no answer to give."_

* * *

"Well... he's gained a whole two pounds out of the amount he's lost but he still looks like a skeleton..." Tsunade murmured annoyedly.

"He's been eating a little more since last time. We haven't needed to force-feed him again, which is great. But after a bit he just... stops accepting the food. ... He also still looks out the window."

Tsunade frowned, "Still?" That was a frustrating thing to hear since it was pressing the two month mark.

Sakura nodded, at a loss of what to do.

"That boy..." She scratched at her scalp some, eyes peering over to the staircase that lead up to where the blond occupied. _What do you see, looking out that window, Naruto...?_

* * *

"Itachi?"

"Hm...?"

"... Do you plan to visit him tomorrow, un?"

"I do."

"... How long as it been now?"

Uchiha Itachi let out a breath some as he rubbed at his cheek, eyes staring up thoughtfully at the shadowed ceiling of his bedroom. "About four months, give or take..." His eyes slipped shut as he crossed his arms beneath his head. "... His birthday is next month," he said after a long silence.

"... You seem better about it, un."

Itachi peeked open an eye to look over at the blond that sat to his left on the other side of the bed, though he sat with his back to the wall and his arms clasped around his propped up knee. Deep blue eyes stared back into black beads before Itachi just closed off his sight again. "Do I...?"

Deidara cocked his head to the side, examining the raven. "... How _are_ you doing, un...?"

Itachi found himself staring up at the ceiling once again, though he was mostly staring past it, digesting the other's question for a few moments. "... I am... ..." He sighed, draping an arm over his face. "Don't ask me that."

Deidara frowned a little. "... Sorry. ... Do you plan to visit him this weekend?"

"I do."

"... Do you... think Naruto will come?"

Itachi pressed his lips into a thin line. "No."

"Mm..." Deidara watched his fingers fiddle with the fabric of his pant leg a bit before he spoke again. "Do want me to come with you when you go...?"

"No..." Itachi replied, rolling onto his side and giving his back to the blond. "It's fine. I don't need you to come."

Deidara frowned further, wanting to press the issue but knowing better. Much like a certain torpid blond, Itachi hadn't fared much better with the death of his little brother. He was of the most devastated, along with the Uchiha parents - their mother was still struggling harshly while their father tried to stoically continue on. The missing link affected the family in the most profound way and they still struggled to keep their structure. Itachi had eventually found himself again but still had random nights of break-downs, where he just couldn't find the strength to even stand, let alone remain his typically collected self. Deidara was there for those moments and breathed not a word of them to anyone else. He was trying his best to help his love through the pain, but most of the time he found himself at a loss of what to do because he knew he could only do so much. Deidara found himself looking sorrowfully to the bed. "... Alright."

"... But you can... come with me the day of his birthday."

Deidara's eyes flicked to the back of Itachi's head. He could see the tenseness in the raven's shoulders. "... Okay."

"... Thanks."

Deidara blinked before he nodded, despite the fact the other couldn't see. "Of course, un."

* * *

_"Raining in July..."_

_Go figure._

_"It would, wouldn't it?" _The figure looked out, displeased at the sheets of rain. _"... You know what day it is – don't you?"_

Naruto's eyes didn't leave the sight of his lap. _... Yes._

_"You remember what we had planned?"_

_... Yeah. We were going to go visit your parents' beach front property. ... Just the two of us._

_"We'll never get to do that now."_

Naruto's eyes fell shut tightly, a frown dusting on his lips. _... No... We won't._

_"... Pity."_

_... I'm sorry._

_"That's not what I want to hear."_

He let out a meek breath, lifting his gaze to meet with hard black. _... Happy Birthday._

The figure smiled.

* * *

"It's already August..." Hinata murmured, pulling her legs to her chest as she sat with her back to the side of her mattress as she was seated on the floor. "I haven't seen him in so long, Ino..."

"Sakura said he's doing better," Ino said, trying to be comforting to the worrying girl. It had now marked onto six months since they'd last seen the once flamboyant blond. Ino had visited the household once but didn't even make up the stairs before Sakura had collapsed into a weeping mess in her arms, making Ino loose all nerve to see the blond upstairs. That was about two months ago now. She hasn't gathered the strength to try again yet. "He's eating more now."

Hinata looked to the blond that was a few feet from her, also on the floor though was painting her toe nails a vivid violet color. "... Do you... Do you really think... Naruto will be... okay again...?"

Ino flicked her eyes to meet Hinata's, her lips pulling at the corners. She really wasn't sure but she didn't want to express her own doubts to the fretting girl. "I do. It's Naruto." She gave a rather forced smile, hoping Hinata couldn't notice. "He always bounces back. He did when his mother died... He'll do it again."

"Yeah, but..." Hinata's attention dropped to her white carpet. "... He wasn't... like this when his mom died... ... He's lost two people closest to him. He didn't even know who his dad was... I can't... I can't even imagine how he's feeling... ... I'm sure it's... I'm sure he feels so lost..." She frowned miserably, feeling her eyes begin to water.

Ino watched her before she lowered the nail brush, sighing some as she laid her cheek on her knee. "... Yeah... I think if Sakura lost it at this point... We'd never find Naruto again. She's the only one keeping him here, I think."

"... I feel horrible, Ino..." Hinata said so small, burring her face into her hands. "I feel so useless..."

Ino frowned at her before huffing quietly, capping the nail polish and setting it aside, carefully adjusting herself to sit beside the girl. She wrapped her in a hug, holding her tight. "I know... ... Me too."

* * *

"Itachi," Sakura said gently as she gestured for the man to enter. "It's been a while."

"A little too long of one," Itachi said as he removed his shoes, Sakura closing the door. He looked at her sympathetically. "I apologize for that."

Sakura shook her head. "No – I'm glad you came."

A heavy silence passed between them before Itachi moved his gaze towards the stairs. "... How is he...?" It was now pressing onto eight months since the incident. Itachi had come quite a few times to visit Sakura but he had yet to step foot on a single stair towards the blond. He was wanting to amend that today.

"He's... better," Sakura said, not sure if that was quite the right word to use. "He eats a more proper amount, and drinks. He'll at least take baths now... But he's so pale anymore..." She frowned tiredly at the floor, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, making Itachi look to her by her deflated behavior.

"... Is he awake now? I know it's rather late."

"Ah – yes." Sakura nodded. "I just left him about ten minutes ago. He... ... He doesn't like sleeping, I think." Her face saddened again. "Every time he sleeps, he ends up screaming his name and screaming about rain... He looks so exhausted..."

"... I see." Itachi nodded, moving toward the stairs.

"Would you like some tea or coffee?" Sakura asked him as he went.

Itachi stopped on the first step and paid her mind, nodding. "Some tea would be nice. ... Can you make two cups?"

Sakura blinked and simply nodded, watching as the raven continued ascending the stairs. _... The cup will just go to waste with him..._ She sighed for the umpteenth time anymore and turned, padding off into the kitchen.

A soft single knock came to the door of Naruto's bedroom, the barrier creeping open a slight from the force so Itachi ended up just pushing it open further to where he revealed himself in the frame. Even without taking a step into the room, he could feel the waves of emotion that utterly drowned this room. It was almost overwhelming but he steeled himself, gazing around until he saw a certain shock of blond and rather flat hair. He frowned at the sight that greeted him. Despite Sakura saying he was eating more, it was obvious he was still not eating enough, and sleep seemed but a stranger to the poor man any longer with the bags that clung beneath his eyes. He looked like a bag of soulless bones, like he should be in a portrait hung in a haunted mansion. He drew in a short breath before entering and closing the door behind him. "... Naruto."

It was a voice the blond hadn't heard in a rather long time. Although his face remained towards the window, cerulean orbs slid to the side, recognizing the other's presence.

_"... Itachi."_

_... Why is he here...?_

_"I don't know. Maybe he's here to blame you."_

_Perhaps._ Naruto's eyes moved back to the window, causing Itachi to look there as well.

"You're coherent now, I see..." Itachi murmured, mostly to himself as he neared the window where Naruto's figment stood, watching the elder Uchiha with gross interest. "... How is the weather for you, Naruto...?"

Naruto's eyes once again moved to the man but silence was Itachi's only answer.

"... Is it raining?" Itachi's eyes gazed out at the clear night, the stars glimmering in an unnaturally bright way tonight. It didn't feel fitting for how this room felt. He turned, looking to the Uzumaki, who just stared back at him. "You know..." Itachi closed his eyes. "My brother hated the rain."

_I know._

"I'm not too fond of it myself... I suppose none of us Uchiha are particularly fond of water."

_"Why is he talking about that...?"_

_I don't know._

"Do you know that his birthday has passed...?" Itachi now eyed his shoes, wanting to avoid looking at the other occupant in the room. Of course, he didn't respond. "I'm sure you did. ...I visited him that day. ... Perhaps you can join me next year. I would like that very much." He looked to Naruto, who was no longer looking at him and now had his gaze to his lap. "And I'm sure he would, too."

_"I'm already here though."_

Another soft knock came to the blond's door before it opened, emitting Sakura with a tray of two steaming cups.

Itachi moved to her, thanking her as she handed him the cups.

Teal eyes watched as Itachi neared the bed, setting one cup on the nightstand and maneuvering the other to be held in Naruto's hands. She was a little worried the cup would slip from the unaware man but was thankful when it didn't. She almost gasped at the mere fact Naruto's fingers put pressure to the cup to keep it upright.

"It's warm, isn't it?" Itachi asked him as he picked his own cup back up and headed back to the spot at the window, gazing out.

Sakura looked between the two, her fingers dabbing over her lips before she was met with Itachi's silent gaze. It seemed a small conversation passed between their contact and she bowed her head some, ducking out of the room and quietly closing the door behind her.

"You must be feeling cold with all this rain..." Itachi said before sipping his own tea, closing his eyes. "You should drink up."

_"I didn't know you were cold."_

Naruto stared into his tea, the room too dark to spawn a legitimate reflection. Steam spiraled from the liquid and trickled along the pores of his face. The warmth felt so nice as it breezed over his skin. His eyes slid shut from the comforting feeling.

"... He liked tea, you know."

_I know_.

"He thought it was a very calming thing to drink. And soothing. When he was a child and got upset or would cry... mother or myself would make him some tea and it would settle him quickly." Itachi took another sip of his own. "After that, he would drink it whenever he was stressed."

Naruto stared into the tea again, his mind conjuring up the image of a small and frail version of the man he use to know, eyes red with tears. The image faded away as he let out a breath.

"Sometimes, I think he drank a little too much tea..." Itachi murmured softly. "... But then he didn't drink as much tea when you were around."

Naruto looked to Itachi, who met his gaze.

"... You should drink some tea, Naruto."

The blond's eyes fell back to the steaming cup, silence reigning over the room after that statement.

_"You're not the biggest fan of tea, though."_

_... I can be._ _It soothed you, didn't it...? Can't it soothe me too...? I am cold... _Slowly, he rose his cup to his lips but held it there, breathing in the scent of the warm tea. Even that seemed comforting. He sipped the hot liquid, it spreading over his long and itching down his throat in a favorable coaxing manner. He let out a shaky breath after that and lowered the cup to his lap, his head bowing some as his brow knit. _I don't want to be cold anymore..._

"... Does it help?" Itachi inquired in nothing more than whisper. He lifted his chin a tad when he saw a single bead of water drip from the other's face. He looked at him a moment longer before turning his attention towards the window, taking another drink of his own liquid, letting silence once again billow in the room.

* * *

"Careful - that pot's hot," Sakura informed as she chopped up some carrots, eyes continuously flicking over the blond that stood a few feet from her in the kitchen. He was staring into the boiling pot of stew for a long moment before grabbing the nearby wooden spoon and stirring the contents. A soft, genuine smile crossed the pinkette's face.

It had been three weeks now since Naruto finally showed a spark of life again – since Itachi's last visit – and although it was small, it was still something. He still had yet to speak to anyone and he was often found staring off into space or most often out of windows. He didn't leave the house and didn't move too much, but he'd been getting better. His weight was now tipping onto a more healthier scale though he still looked considerably pale. His eyes were still matte, face expressionless but Sakura was working a baby step at a time and Itachi was coming over more often as well, which seemed to be helping, too. To most, it was disturbing having the blond so quiet, but it had been even more disturbing having him act like a living corpse. Most of Naruto's friends were quite relieved to hear of the progress he'd made, Kiba being of the most. He visited more often and typically rambled on about topics when he was with the blond. It still wasn't one-hundred-percent if Naruto actually listened to all of it, but at least he acknowledged other peoples' presences now instead of acting like nothing else existed anymore.

"I think you'll like this one, Naruto," Sakura chattered on as she scraped the carrots in the pot, Naruto idly stirring them in. "It was a recipe my great grandmother past down to my mom. I always loved it as a little girl."

_"I want to go back to the room."_

_I'm hungry..._

_"Can't you eat later...? The food won't be ready until then anyway."_

Naruto stopped stirring, removing the spoon and setting it aside as he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath which caused Sakura to frown, watching him concernedly.

"You alright...?" she whispered gently, as if she'd blow Naruto back to an inactive state if she asked the question too loudly.

Naruto just turned away from her and headed out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, which made Sakura's shoulders sink a bit.

She turned back to the pot, grabbing the spoon and stirring with a frown. _He's getting there, Sakura... Just – hang on. _"Oh - it'll be ready in about ten minutes!" She called over her shoulder for the other to hear, though he was already out of sight.

Naruto's feet felt like lead as he lifted them up the all too long staircase. He didn't like traveling up and down it too often, it feeling like nothing but a chore. His hand tracing along the wall in a sort of crutch, Naruto made his way back to his bedroom and entered, closing the door shut behind him before he headed to his bed, slowly craning himself to a sit on the edge, back slouching over as his hands rested limply at his sides, eyes on the floor.

_"I don't like stew."_

_You like pasta._

_"I do. We should have more pasta."_

_You can't eat it anyway._

_"No - but you like pasta, too."_

_I'm tired... _Naruto laid himself back on the bed, arms stretching across the mattresses length, eyes now slid shut. _It's still raining._

_"Yes. It is."_

_I haven't seen the sun in so long... Why is it always night time?_

_"I don't know - but the stars are beautiful."_

_You can't see them in the rain._

_"No, but you can see them any other night - when it's not raining."_

_But it's never not raining._

_"No. It's always raining."_

_Always. I hate the rain._

_"I don't."_

Naruto's eyes slid open a half, gaze upwards. _...Yes, you do._

_"Yes. I do."_

_You've always hated the rain. You hate being wet. You never liked to go swimming, either. You didn't even like baths. You didn't like the rain._

_"No... I didn't. I don't."_

_Don't... No, you don't. ... Do you like it now?_

_"... I don't know. Do I?"_

_I don't know... Do you? _A soft quiet filled the room as the pitter-patter of the rain outside was heard. It was a gentle hush that lulled the room. _The window's open... But the rain never comes in._

_"No. It doesn't."_

_... I hate windows._ Naruto suddenly pulled himself to a sit, huffing some from the effort before he turned a slight to look at the window. _I hate them. I'm tired of them. I'm tired of the rain. I'm tired of the black and white outside. Each time Sakura leaves the house, she fades away until she comes back. Each time Tsunade or Kiba come to visit, or Itachi, too, they step out from no color. Why is the house in color yet the outside isn't? Why is it always raining?_

_"You're asking a lot of questions..."_

_And you have no answers! _Naruto got to a stand, moving to the window and grabbing it's handle.

_"Don't shut that!"_

He stilled, jumping from the volume of the other's voice. He grit his teeth. _Why not?! I don't want to hear the rain anymore!_

_"You can't shut that!"_

_Why?!_

_"Just don't do it!"_

"**Why**?!" Naruto screamed before he wrenched his arm back, slamming the window against its pain, the structure trembling vehemently, the glass in the small French window cracking dramatically upon impact, some glass clattering out from the rest and shattering on the ground.

Sakura nearly lept out of her skin at the crash, dropping the spoon onto the floor before she turned a wild gaze towards the stairs. "Naruto?!" she called in a panic, dashing out of the kitchen and to the bottom of the stairs. "Naruto, are you okay?!" She was halfway up the stairs when she hesitated from the screaming she heard.

"_Why, why, why, why, why?!_"

"Naruto!" Sakura called, nearly skidding past Naruto's room with her velocity, snatching the door and throwing it open, bursting in, her heart thrumming in her ears from the rush of adrenaline and worry. The first sight that greeted her was Naruto standing before that window, the curtain half hung over the blond's right shoulder. She was confused at first, as he seemed perfectly still until she saw the slight tremble to his shoulders; until she heard the soft hitches of his breath. Her eyes then flicked to the glass that was scattered on the wooden floor and the cracks in the window. "... N... Naruto...?" she murmured, taking a step near the other. She heard him sniff and that was all she needed before she approached him in long strides, embracing him so tightly from behind. Now she could feel how badly he was shaking.

Naruto's fingers clung so tightly onto the handle of the closed window, his other hand roughly trying to wipe away the tears that spilled over his face, wetting his cheeks and chin. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I'm sorry... I'm s-sorry..." he sobbed over and over again. "I'm so... s-sorry..." Naruto's hand slid limp from the window, his other hand resting over one of Sakura's without intention. "I miss you so much..." he choked out. "God... I miss you...!" His head hung, eyes wrenched shut so tight. Tears squeezed out as his body shook hard from the waves of sadness he finally poured out.

Sakura couldn't help herself - she too cried with the broken man. "Naruto... It's okay, Naruto... It's o-okay..." Nothing was okay right now. She hugged him so tightly, fingers practically digging into his chest.

"I'm s-so s-sorry..." Naruto said again and again as his knees began to buckle beneath him, sending his legs crashing to the floor, the rest of him following, along with Sakura behind him who refused to let go. The front of his knees barely caught glass but he paid it absolutely no mind. _Please... Please - Please, forgive me! I miss you so much...! _Everything - all of it - just came crashing down on the blond at once. Three months of harboring it and finally it was being released. He had no control after that. He and Sakura spent what felt like forever in the haze until Sakura cried herself to sleep and Naruto ran dry of tears, but he still felt like he was crying. His chest ached so much and he felt like he just wanted to rip his heart out of his chest. He laid beside the pinkette in his single-sized bed, having moved her and himself there after they'd settle down enough, an arm draped comfortingly over her as his chin rested atop her head, his blurred gaze staring across the room at nothing at all.

_"... I can't ever forgive you." _A silhouette stood behind the blond.

Naruto's jaw clenched. _... I know._

_"I can't forgive you until you forgive yourself."_

_... I know._

_"Naruto... ... We can't hear the rain anymore." _The silhouette began fading as it looked towards the broken glass.

_I know..._

_"... It's not raining anymore."_

_... No... It'll always be raining for me. _Naruto's eyes pressed shut, one last tear streaming down the hill of his cheek and dissolving into the pillow below. _Always..._

_"Even when the sky has a shining sun and clear skies...?"_

_Even then..._

_"... You'll come visit me, won't you?"_

_Of course I will. Every single day until the day I die._

_"... Goodbye."_

Naruto's jaw clenched as he halfly buried his face into the pillow, feeling another wave of tearless crying hit him.

The silhouette disappeared.

* * *

_"Why the hell did I end up paying again?"_

_"Because I forgot my wallet at home!" Naruto exclaimed boisterously, fingers interlaced behind his head as his brightened face adorned a rather large ear-to-ear grin. He and his friend had just had a rather luxurious and delicious dinner together - although it wasn't particularly as _friends_. The restaurant had actually been the other's pick, Naruto having been hesitant about it since he'd never been in such a fancy eatery, but he had insisted and Naruto caved - he was too curious how fancy-people food tasted anyway._

_Uchiha Sasuke scowled at the rather pleased expression on his love's face, having a feeling Naruto purposefully forgot the wallet and rung up the dinner bill as high as he possibly could stomach because he knew the raven would pay - not that Sasuke hadn't already had full plans of paying for the meal to begin with. He knew Naruto couldn't afford even a single dinner the place they'd just been and he wanted to treat the blond regardless. It was a restaurant his family favored to go and he figured he'd share the experience with Naruto - especially since it was their first official date. "Underhanded dolt..." he grumbled beneath his breath, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat. He huffed in an almost poutful manner as the two strolled down the darkening street, the street lamps having come on not that long ago._

_"I'm not a dolt..." Naruto grumbled in a rather childish manner, sticking out his lips to boot. Despite the fact this was their first time on a date, the two had felt the obvious chemistry between themselves in a long time coming, though Sasuke was the first to confess - least to say, slamming your lips on someone in the break room at work was an interesting way of confession. And forceful, too. But Naruto hadn't minded in the least. That was about over two weeks ago now and he and Sasuke had yet to tell their friends anything. They had wanted at least one actual date before they classified themselves as anything in the couple department and though Naruto didn't know for Sasuke, he himself was feeling pretty damn good about the day's over all happenings. He raised his glistening sapphire gaze to the sky. "Ain't the stars gorgeous tonight...?"_

_From the comment, the raven lifted his attention upwards. "Hn... What you can see of them. Too many clouds."_

_Naruto made some sort of groaning noise that Sasuke couldn't particularly conclude was meant to be human before making a remark, "Looks like it's gonna rain."_

_"It better not," Sasuke practically hissed, glaring at the clouds and now willing them away. It would just put a gigantic damper on the great night he was having. A comforting silence settled between the two as they walked down the avenue together._

_Naruto glanced over at Sasuke and frowned a little, raising an eyebrow. He then smirked when an idea hit him._

_Sasuke about drop-kicked Naruto out of pure startlement when the blond suddenly shoved his hand into one of Sasuke's coat pockets. "What the hell are you doing?"_

_"Trying to hold your hand!" Naruto said with a wide smile, causing Sasuke to blink, all thoughts vanishing in that very instant with how stunning the other looked with that expression and the action attempted to achieve. "But you have them all coiled away!" Naruto managed to grab hold of Sasuke's hand in the pocket, fingers curling over the other's. "Your fingers are cold!"_

_Sasuke made a face, looking away as a tinge of pink coated his face. "Why the hell do you think they were in my pockets, dumbass?"_

_Naruto made a face. "Oi, oi! Is that anyway to treat your - your... ... er... Um." Naruto's words clumsily trailed off since he wasn't particularly sure where they stood now, leaving the deciding factor in the raven's hands at that moment._

_Sasuke slid his gaze back to the blond, raising an amused eyebrow. "My __**er-um**__?"_

_Naruto made a face. "You knew what I meant!"_

_Sasuke chuckled lightly, Naruto sort of marveling in the more-than-rare action. It made him smile warmly and take a moment to appreciate all the little things the raven did that he probably didn't realize himself. "Yeah... You can be my er-um."_

_Naruto laughed, shoving Sasuke a slight with his shoulder, causing Sasuke to smile back. "Hey, hey - it's getting cold. Where'd you park your damn car?" Naruto suddenly whined, gazing around. The parking lot of the restaurant had been full, causing Sasuke to have to park on the side of a street but Naruto hadn't bothered to catch the name of the street or really pay attention to any details such as directions, but he did know it was quite a walk from the establishment, unfortunately._

_"It's near the park," Sasuke said, pointing to an upcoming road they needed to head down._

_"Mm," was Naruto's response as his mind began unfoiling another grand plan. He grinned, Sasuke catching this one and giving a narrowed, suspicious glare at him._

_"What?" the raven barely got the word out before he jumped out of his skin when Naruto shove his other hand into his pants pocket - that was an interesting sensation for him - but then he pulled out Sasuke's keys, jingled them in his face, released his hand and took off down the street. Sasuke blinked, mind reeling on what exactly had just happened. He was still trying to get over Naruto technically have his hand down his pants... Then he frowned. Naruto had his keys - that wasn't good. "Idiot - what do you think you're doing with those?!" he called after the other before taking off in a sprint to catch up with the moron._

_"I wanna drive your car!"_

_"No way!" Sasuke growled after him. Damn Naruto for being so athletic! "I'd rather let a toddler drive my car than you!"_

_"Hurtful!" Naruto called behind him with a fake pout but laughed when he turned forward again. "I wanna know how it feels to be a fancy Uchiha!"_

_In the midst of their bout, the stars in the sky had become completely hooded, the scent of rain strong in the air before a few seconds later, the soft, lukewarm droplets spilled from the sky in a light sheen at first. _

_"Ugh - Naruto! Get back here!" Sasuke ordered the other, the blond completely disreguading the command. Sasuke noted the rain right away and grew increasingly irritated by it. He didn't want to get soaked nor did he want to get in his car soaked. "You don't even have your damn license on you! It's in your wallet!"_

_Naruto's step faltered a slight at that realization but he didn't stop running, huffing a little, not caring about getting wet in the slightest. "So what?!"_

_"What? What do you mean 'so what'?!" Sasuke called after the other. "No 'so what'! You're not driving my damn car without a license, idiot!"_

_"You call your boyfriend an idiot a lot!"_

_"Think of it as the perfect pet name!" Sasuke smirked, feeling triumphant in the fact that got Naruto to stop - what he hadn't anticipated, however, was himself trying to stop as well and failing as his foot caught a nice section of mud from a small bit of yard that was in front of a business, it sending him forward and making him resemble a flailing fish trying to learn how to stand on land - and failing miserably. _

_Naruto didn't exactly have time to react before the raven barreled into him, sending him to the ground and slightly skidding across the wet pavement of the sidewalk, arms having flung over his head from the collision, his head barely having not bounced off the ground. He groaned along with the Uchiha, his hands slowly coming back to him to rub at his dampening head before he laid his hands on Sasuke, helping guiding him off. "You okay?" Naruto also had no time to react before having a hand slap him upside the head._

_"Idiot! That was your fault!"_

_Naruto nursed the assaulted spot before squawking at the other. "__**What**__?! My fault?! How was you having no coordination my fault?!"_

_"I have plenty of coordination!" Sasuke growled, feeling embarrassed from the over all situation. "Ugh! Now it's raining!" he randomyl bitched, glaring up at the sky as it seemed to just pour down the liquid harder, as if mocking him._

_Naruto laughed, "Yep! And your hair is gettin' all flat!"_

_Sasuke scowled at the other. "So is yours, idiot." He stood, watching as his er-um frowned and checked himself over, seeming quite surprised that his hair too had to obey the laws of nature and gravity. "Come on," Sasuke said, begrudgingly holding out his hand for the other._

_Naruto looked to it before taking it with a grin, getting pulled to a stand. "You know... I don't think I mind the rain."_

_Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the other. "Oh?"_

_"Yeah." He clasped onto Sasuke's hand and stepped close to where his face was hardly an inch from the raven's, making the other's heart beat skip from the action. "As long as I can walk in it with you."_

_Sasuke slowly reared his head at the other, making a face that clearly said 'are you serious with that?'_

_Naruto snorted and beamed a grin. "Not buying that?"_

_"Hardly," Sasuke said with a slight scowl. Naruto didn't need to know how _fluttery_ that just made him._

_"Fine, fine." Naruto turned, closing his eyes and lifting his face to the droplets. "But rain is interesting... It's like rain adds a different feeling to everything. You know? Like... It has the ability of intensifying beauty or it has the ability to intensify negativity, like sadness or fear - like in movies in stuff." He looked back to the raven with a genuine expression. "During romantic scenes and tragic scenes, specifically. It just - __**adds**__."_

_"... Well aren't you poetic," Sasuke remarked with a teasing smirk._

_Naruto stuck his tongue out. "Jerk!"_

_"Whatever, whatever... Now give me keys." Sasuke held out his free hand, halfly very aware of the fact he and Naruto were still locked together with his other hand._

_Naruto stared at Sasuke, making the raven frown slowly._

_"... Naruto... My keys."_

_"Uh..." Naruto looked to his loose hand before he did what Sasuke was really hoping he wasn't going to do - he turned his eyes to the ground and inspected it, orbs skittering about in a desperate search for the small item of great desire._

_"... You did __**not**__ lose my car keys... My __**house**__ keys were on those, too, Naruto!"_

_"Not on purpose!" Naruto instantly exclaimed defensively though guilt was painted on his culprit face._

_"__**Ugh**__!" Sasuke retracted his hand from the blond's, much to the other's dismay, before he marched forward, glaring around on the ground. "Find them, idiot!"_

_Naruto puffed out a cheek. "Alright, alright! Bastard..." And then they spent about the next twenty minutes looking for the said object before Naruto made a rather unnerving and grave discovery. "Uh... Sas...?"_

_"What, Naruto?" Sasuke idly growled, completely beyond agitated that he was absolutely soaked, like he had just thrown himself into a blasted lake with clothes on and all. His hair clung to every part of his head and his clothes were beginning to feel like secondary, much heavier skin that didn't feel very nice at all. And it was getting cold._

_"Uh... Found 'em."_

_Sasuke whipped his head attentively to the blond. "Good - then give them to me. I want out of this blasted rain!" The raven marched over to the blond and held out his hand expectantly._

_"Um... About that..." Naruto grimaced._

_Dread suddenly filled the Uchiha as he finally realized where his new love was looking - up a tree. A very tall and skinny tree with absolutely no climbable branches. "... You... chucked my keys... into the tallest fucking tree in the world...?"_

_"I said I didn't mean to!"_

_"__**Naruto**__..." Sasuke actually whined, arms and shoulders shagging as he lolled his head back, rain drops pelting his face softly as he groaned. "Uugh...!"_

_"Sorry..." Naruto finally said, feeling bad. "Look - I'll get them - "_

_"How the hell are you gonna do that? You're not fuckin' Spiderman."_

_Naruto frowned. "I'll... Uh..."_

_Sasuke shook his head. "Nevermind... We'll just - We'll figure out something tomorrow. We'll get 'em tomorrow." He sighed heavily, rubbing his hands over his face before he combed his hair out of it. He frowned, hearing a snort from Naruto. He cocked a questioning eyebrow at the other._

_"That's a pretty slick hairstyle on you."_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes and just grabbed Naruto's hand, pulling him along. "Just stop talking."_

_Naruto snickered as he compliantly went. They continued walking on for what felt like ever, Naruto shivering rather dramatically at this point. "God, it's getting fucking cold..."_

_"We're gonna get sick if we don't get out of this damn ran..." Sasuke grumbled. Normally, Sasuke welcomed the cold, winter being his favorite season. Right now, however, mother nature was going through that awkward transition of winter to spring, bipolarly switching from rain and snow – or in this case, freezing rain and no snow. Even the raven was beginning to shiver a bit and Naruto was feeling unnaturally cold, being the typical space-heater he was. "Hey – doesn't your friend live around here somewhere?"_

_Naruto looked at the buildings as they passed them, his teeth chattering as he tried to focus on where they were. "Uh – " Before he could give an answer, though, he about scared the shit out of himself when his foot slid off the curb of the city sidewalk, dunking into a nice, rather deep pocket of water. "Fuck!" Naruto retracted his half-numb foot from the puddle, uselessly shaking it out despite the fact his whole body was absolutely wet._

_Sasuke frowned, turning to look back at him. "Would you watch where you're going?"_

_Naruto grit his teeth, his eyebrow twitching out of sheer frustration. "If someone hadn't chosen a restaurant on the other side of town, we could've already been at my place!"_

_"It wouldn't have been a problem if someone hadn't launched my house keys into a tall ass tree!" Sasuke rebutted._

_"I said I was sorry!" the blond groaned out, guilt eating away at him for the incident. "It's your fault for tackling me!"_

_"I didn't do that on purpose!" Sasuke growled embarrassedly, looking elsewhere. If his body hadn't been lacking heat, his cheeks probably would've tinged pink. "Anyway – would you answer me? Does your friend live around here or not?" He looked back to the blond, having the single most desire of getting out of this despicable weather._

_"Yeah, he does," Naruto answered as he looked around, trying to understand where they even were. A few of the closed businesses looked familiar. "Oh, yeah. He's not far away," Naruto said with a sudden smile, feeling chipper at the realization. "Come on!" Naruto then began sprinting, his hand slipping away from Sasuke's as he went, the raven staring after him very unenthusiastically at Naruto's sudden bubble of enthusiasm._

_"Is there a day you're not smiling...?" Sasuke muttered to himself as he began after the blond, his statement just reminding him of another thing he adored about the guy – always an optimist, Naruto was, counterbalancing Sasuke's eminent pessimism._

_"Hey, hey – I meant to ask, Sasuke," Naruto called back over his shoulder as he cooled to a walk though was still quite a few paces in front of the lagging Uchiha._

_"What?" Sasuke huffed, swiping his hair back and out of his face once again._

_"Why __**did **__you take me to such a fancy restaurant...? I probably looked like a fish out of water to everyone there!"_

_"Because I wanted to, that's why," was Sasuke's brilliant response, eliciting a snort from the Uzumaki, who just turned a smirk to the raven._

_"The place was really nice, though."_

_"Of course it was," Sasuke stated easily. "My family goes there all the time."_

_Naruto blinked, stopping and halfly turning towards the other. "Your family goes there?"_

_Sasuke walked passed the other, not exchanging gazes as he went but feeling the blond's stare follow him. "Yeah."_

_"... Oh..." Naruto wasn't too sure how to feel about that but somehow it made him smile. He grinned from ear to ear before bolting and taking off in front of the Uchiha again, cause Sasuke to start a bit as he watched the other. "Come on! Let's get out of this rain!"_

_Sasuke made a face but began sort of jogging after the other. "Moron – do you always have random spurts of energy like this?!"_

_"Haha – all the time! You'll get use to it!" Naruto laughed. "C'mon, Uchiha! Keep up! Maybe you should join a gym or somethin'!"_

_Sasuke bored a glare in the back of Naruto's head. "I'm gonna kick your ass!" he called out to the other, hearing Naruto simply laugh again in response._

_"What's that? You're gonna __**kiss my ass**__? How sweet of ya, Sas!"_

_Sasuke scowled. "I'm gonna hurt you...!"_

_Naruto just laughed some more as he stepped off the curb, a grin splitting his face as he went._

_And then everything happened so fast and yet like it was in slow-motion all at the the same time. _

_Sasuke had no time to breathe a word other than calling out the other's name in a fullforce scream that startled Naruto into stopping – to turn and look back at Sasuke in pure worry as to what could make Sasuke sound so terrified in that instant – only to be tackled for the second time that night, sending Naruto skidding across the ground, landing him in a gutter as the squeals of protesting tires spiraled around on the drowning asphalt of the shining black road, a horn blasting with all its might before Naruto wielded his cerulean orbs to witness the beginning of a monochromatic world. The vehicle fishtailed before it happened, spiraling and hitting its end into a post box after the impact, completely backwards from its intended direction. Headlights beamed and scattered through the falling drops that now went unnoticed by all presences, the lights guiding over the shadowed mass that laid far too still._

_Slowly, Naruto's eyes widened. Slowly, his lips fell agape. Slowly, his world came crumbling down. In a flash, it was all gone. "Sas...uke...?" It felt like the world just stopped – like the rain and air and everything around him froze. He froze. His hands began trembling though no longer from the cold. His body was processing it before his mind was; he still wasn't sure what had just happened. In his peripheral, there was now a misdirected truck, the driver nothing more than a silhouette at this point. Naruto couldn't move his eyes to focus on them as they were locked on the unmoving man in the street, a streak of red in his wake. The front of the car was splattered red. There was too much red. "Sa..." His eyes began stinging. Only hearing the scream of a bystander did Naruto rear his head and finally scream. "__**Sasuke!**__" He lurked from his spot, shooting forward, almost tripping and slipping as he made his hapharzard way to him. "Sasuke! Sasuke! S-Sasuke...!" He dropped hard to his knees, arms embracing the pale figure desperately. "Sa-Sasuke!" His voice was cracking, as if breaking away. His vision blurred and red streamed onto his hands only to be taken away by the selfish tears of the sky. "Sasuke!" he cried out, willing this to be a dream – to be a nightmare. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real. This was his mind's version of a sick, cruel and twisted joke. This was impossible. This couldn't happen. This could happen! "Sasuk-ke...!" He hicced, burrying his face in the pulse-less body, it already being too cold from the rain. He couldn't even relish in the last of the warmth. "Sasuke...!"_

_"Someone call an ambulance!" someone shouted._

_"Is that man - ?!"_

_"Oh my god!"_

_"I didn't mean... The breaks – I couldn't stop...! I – I'm so sorry...!"_

_When the paramedics arrived, Naruto had to be ripped from the lifeless mess. When that happened, it was like all life in the blond remained with the corpse of his everything. As he was ushered towards one of the two ambulances that arrived, he watched as they pulled a white sheet over the figure, his face slowly disappearing from his sight but the red in the painting dyed through the bright white cloth. Naruto was forced to a sit, Sakura yelling his name but he was barely hearing it. He felt like he could no longer breathe. He couldn't move. He was frozen in that moment – a moment that would play over and over again. Red stained the front of his shirt and his sleeves, but his skin was clean. He barely felt the blanket that someone draped over him but it did no good. It only soaked everything in. People scrambled all around, yelling and screaming things and Sakura was finding it so hard not to break down. She had to look over Naruto. She had a job to do._

_Naruto just stared at the white sheet, laying like a ghost over the body. He felt dead. He felt so dead._

_They didn't allow Naruto to stay for the rest of it. It was unwillfully hauled off to the hospital where he received a check up and was labeled as stable and healthy though a psychologist would say different. Naruto laid in that hospital bed looking nowhere but at the ceiling for days. He didn't eat. He didn't drink. He didn't sleep. He barely breathed and blinked, both actions solely automatic. The world was still running slow. Everything was lagging. Only when he heard a soft sigh from the window sill did his eyes move. No one had entered the room._

"It's raining outside," _they said – he said._

_Naruto just stared over, face void of expression like an open-eyed corpse._

"It looks like it's gonna be raining for a while."

_Naruto moved his eyes to the window. Rain poured down in buckets, cascading across the ground and creating a hush throughout the night-filled streets outside. _It does... Doesn't it.

"I hate the rain."

... I know.

"I hate it."

... I'm sorry.

"... I know."

... I'm sorry. _Naruto's eyes slid closed, brows twitching down as tears pooled at his lashes. Streams poured over his cheeks, breath hitching. _I'm so sorry, Sasuke... I'm so sorry. _His shoulders shook, fingers curling into his palms as he silently cried to himself. "I-I'm sorry..."_

"It's okay. I'm here now. See? I'm here."

_Naruto sniffed hard, moving his blurred gaze back to the raven, watching as he moved from the window to stand at his side. He watched as the hand ghosted over his own, laying in his up-turned palm. A chill went through Naruto in the instant and he curled his fingers in, coiling his hand into a fist that phased right through the other. _Yeah... ... You're here now.

"And I'll always be here. No matter what."

Please don't ever go.

"Don't ever let me go."

I won't. I won't. _"I won't."_

* * *

**A/N -** So. That's that. Um. Yus. OTL

I guess this is a sort of very belated Valentine fic. OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN TELL WHERE MY VIEWS LIE ON THAT HOLIDAY, YEP. No - Idk. I just wanted to write a tragedy and this came about.

Please leave reviews - I really wanna know what ya guys thought! ;^;" Thanks for reading~!

I'msofuckingtiredrightnowI'msorryifsomethingsdon'tmakesenseorsomethingomggonnapassout.


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